There was some justifiable mockery of the Libertarian Party's odd convention this past weekend, complete with the stripping goofball that was covered live on C-SPAN. After all, it's a party that favors the elimination of taxes, maximum local government control, doing away with drivers licenses and gun registration, and other nutty policies -- in other words, think of the Bundy klan as potential supporters. So mainstream, the Libertarians are not.
But in one way, they made themselves look absolutely reasonable in comparison to the Rethuglican primary process: they chose candidates for President and Vice President who aren't (as far as we know) certifiably nuts. Former two-term state Governors Gary Johnson (NM) and William Weld (MA) are the party's ticket for the elections. Both can claim government executive experience, and both can articulate their thought-out policy positions (however far-fetched they are). Here's Steve Benen's take:
"The Libertarian Party ended up with a ticket featuring a pair of two-term governors. The party considered other assorted figures, none of whom had the kind of background Johnson and Weld brought to the table, but in the end, Libertarians showed a pragmatic streak, choosing the most experienced and credible candidates available. That may have meant compromising a bit, but the Libertarian Party made a conscious decision to nominate a ticket that can appeal to as broad a national electorate as possible.
And then there's the Republican Party, which is nominating a reality-show personality who's never served a day in elected office and doesn't appear to know anything at all about government, politics, or public policy.
Remind me: who are the real misfits in this picture?"
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